Great ride, great bike

[ptm]

Just got back form 9 day 5000 k Australian odyssey through Queensland and New South Wales searching for the best bike roads with 3 friends. Our group comprised my R1200R, an R1200GS, a K1200R and a K1200S. Each bike, although quite different, suited their riders perfectly. The weather was rubbish, but that had little influence on the fun factor.

With the help of advice from forum contributors over the years, the bike was well set up and performed flawlessly.

The tour:
From Townsville to Lithgow and back, but on the back roads -the Lions Road south of Rathdowney, the Oxley Highway, Thunderbolts Way, Putty Road, Bylong Way.

Rider and gear:

• 5'5 tall (short?)
• Custom ear plugs - can be uncomfortable with my Shoei helmet because of the tight fit.
• BMW Comfort Shell coat - works a treat - absolutely waterproof, comfortable from 13 degrees C up to 30 degrees C (though something warmer than a long sleeved shirt is recommended for extended periods below 15 degrees C).
• Draggin Jeans.
• Inexpensive waterproof pants.
• BMW Summer Pro Gloves - worked very well in all conditions - when the palms got a little damp, the grip heaters helped dry them.
• BMW All Purpose Boots - worked well - comfortable for all day riding; waterproof (even when fording flooded roads).

Bike:

• 2008 R1200R.
• BMW Low seat.
• BMW Touring Shield - noisy at my height, though does keep off the wind and rain; not so bad with ear plugs.
• BMW panniers and top box - difficult to falt - easy to put on and take off, oodles of capacity, so convenient when used with Kathy's liners.
• F800GS mirrors - work well.
• Kathy's pannier and top box liners from Bob's BMW- fantastic - able to pack and unpack at each destination in no time.
• Garmin Zumo 660 with RAM mount -more of a toy than a necessity for this ride, but more on that in another post.
• Unfortunately the Touratech GPS mount didn't turn up until after I left, so had to make do with the RAM mount, but still worked OK. The Touratech mount will be more convenient because it is lockable.
• Scala Q2 Bluetooth intercom - linked to iPhone and GPS - hardly got used on this ride; tight helmet meant the left ear piece hurt even after a short time, so I took it out.
• Airhawk - a must have for the long trips - the 2 riders who started without this essential bit of kit ended up buying one on the way home when they saw the difference in rider comfort between the haves and have nots after a 700 k day.

The highs:

• All of the above riding.
• The great company.
• Having a Facebook Aficionado on hand to keep the wives informed of the days events, with photos to prove it.
• The fact that all the wet weather gear worked so well.
• Fording flooded roads.
• Riding on wet slippery gravel roads without falling off (only about 2 k's worth, but fun anyway).

The lows:

• Being told by a friendly gentleman in a blue uniform exactly how fast I was going.
• The Pacific Highway between Grafton and Port Macquarie - too many cars, not enough lanes; traffic delays because flood water had closed off one lane.
• Had to replace the rear tyre on the K1200R in Bathurst (a special thanks to Beard Brothers bike shop), and the front tyre on the K1200S gave up the ghost near Miles on the way home - the moral of the story is make sure you have enough rubber to go the distance, or else make arrangements before leaving for replacing them on the way

Thanks again to all of those here who made it possible.

[deilenberger]

[ptm]

Hi Don,

Pictures added,

Cheers,

Pat

[Caroanbill]

First two pics at Carson's lookout on Thunderbolts Way, right?

I just did the Kidman Way (Bourke - Jerilderie) on mine ... a run in the desert turns out to be a run in green pastures at the moment ... you're running similar set-up, so I'm glad our posts have been useful. The R12R cannot be ridden any distance without a new seat or an airhawk ... but with that, panniers and a few (haha - who'm'I kidding?) farkles a week of 700+km days is a doddle.

I'd get a screen on that oil cooler, tho!

Amen on tyres before you go - while there are 120/70 17s and 180/55 17s in many places, that ain't so once you're off the beaten track in Oz. I've just changed mine before our Phillip Island MotoGP run because I know there is no chance of getting Z6s anywhere we'll be riding (I think I've 2,500 in this set, but finding I've no tread, in rain, on backroads is too big a risk) .. on longer trips I book tyre changes ahead and extract a promise that the shop will have them before I get there ...

[Kieran R1200R]

Hay looks like you have your own BMW riding club going.
Great to see you guys had such a good time.
Bit of rain to add to the fun, bit of off road great!
Would have liked to know which bike got the best milage?
Is the Oxley highway worth the ride?

Cheers

[ptm]

Yes, that certainly was Carson's Lookout.
Bill's advice is good - that oil cooler certainly needs screening. I'll give Radguard a call next week to see if they are willing to sell a bit of mesh.
I am also thinking of getting a set of those Wunderlich hand guards.
The tank bag can be ditched next outing as I can fit al I need in the panniers and top box.
Other than that I am running out of things to tinker with.

Kieran, the R1200R got the best milage, but not by much. All were around the 4.8 l / 100 km mark.
Yes, the Oxley is worth the ride, particularly if you make it part of a run down Thunderbolts from Walcha to Gloucester.
The "BMW Club" was more by accident than design - we must all have discerning tastes!

Cheers,
Pat

[Bodes]

I have a 2009 R12R and struggle seeing friendly gentlemen in blue uniform due to vibrations with the stock "mickey mouse ear" mirrors.

I bought the bar end mirrors that I first saw on Kierans bike when he posted some photos last year. Couldn't fit those as I am a gumby at all things mechanical.

Have the F800GS mirrors improved your ability to see or is it more bling than bang?

[ptm]

The F800GS mirrors really reduced the vibrations to the point they are actually useful.
Make sure you get the fitting for the GS mirror that goes into the R's clamp on the handle bars.
One of the mirrors already had this fixing in its box, but the other didn't, so I just had to wait a couple of days for the extra fixing to arrive.
Fitting them is easy - the GS adapter screws into the R's clamp, and the mirror stalk is held into this with a compression fitting that you tighten with a spanner.

[Caroanbill]

Yes, that certainly was Carson's Lookout.
Bill's advice is good - that oil cooler certainly needs screening. I'll give Radguard a call next week to see if they are willing to sell a bit of mesh.
I am also thinking of getting a set of those Wunderlich hand guards.Cheers,
Pat

Pat

I got a "bit of mesh" from AMC, but I think Radguard will sel you the same stuff. You can get it elsewhere - but since it only comes in huge sheets, it's cheaper to pay $30-50 to thsoe guys for a small piece. I took the plastic oil cooler surround off and stuck the mesh inside it with black silicone. Still there and still fine, 3 years on.

As for the Wunderlich handguards - they are great! I got mine through Mick Owen at East Coast BMs - good, quick service (there is always a wait for that stuff to come from Germany)
http://www.eastcoastbms.com.au/ - you'll probably have to phone in the part number (see my almost-a-fairiing thread).

If you're thinking about the Wunderlich lower shields, they do clash with the cylinder protectors: my BMW black pastic ones had to go. In the end, thanks to Davin's photos, I went with Z-Technik bars from Michael Wilson at http://www.motorradgarage.com.au and they fitted straight up.

.. as for Carson's, I've made expresso there on so many runs now I could probaly pick it from a single pebble!!